From Arctic
by WritingRowlet
Summary: It started curiously enough. Just a few sticky-notes. Then, it escalated quickly. But, Nathanael made one little mistake. You don't sign the card with a name only three people know. MarinetteXNathanael kinda, sorta. What is that even called?
It started curiously enough. Marinette walked in to class one morning to find a hot pink sticky-note stuck at her spot at hers and Alya's desk. Brows furrowed, she pulled the note from the wooden surface to see a quite cute drawing. It was of a little tooth with a distraught face, a hole drawn at the corner, which is where the tooth's 'eyes' were drawn to. Text along the side of the drawing read out 'You're too sweet! It's giving me a cavity!'

Marinette snickered and shook her head, sitting down and rolling the sticky-note between her fingers. Alya sat down beside her, noticing the silly little grin on Marinette's face. "What's that face, girl?" Alya questioned.

"Nothing!" Marinette squeaked.

Alya snatched at the note, taking it and reading it before her own squeal slipped out. "Who do you think wrote this?" she asked. Then, with a smirk, she nudged Marinette and whispered, "What if it was Adrieeeen?"

"Please, Alya," Marinette tried to deadpan. True, a part of her wished and hoped it was Adrien, but she knew better. There was no way! He wasn't even in class yet, how could he have left it? No, it had to be someone else! Obviously! Marinette took her sticky-note back, sticking her tongue out at Alya's teasing look. She turned around slowly to look around at her classmates, hoping to maybe catch the guilty one.

Who could it be?

* * *

"Hurry up, girl!" Alya whined, leaning against the doorway. Marinette scrambled to her locker to grab her almost-forgotten history textbook. They had a test that afternoon, and Marinette had to _study_. _Badly_.

Once she reached her locker and quickly spun off the combination, she threw open the door and reached for her book.

Then, a note fell to the floor.

"What?" Marinette question aloud. She stooped down and picked up the paper, rolling it between her fingers just as she had done with the other one. It was a sticky-note as well, this time on orange paper.

A little dinosaur wearing glasses adorned the note, followed by another message. 'History is written every day, but you will be recorded for all times.'

Marinette giggled and shook her head. These kinds of lines were worse than Chat Noir's! But, it was still cute nonetheless.

"Ooh, she's smiling," Alya teased when Marinette slunk back to her side. "Another note from your secret admirer?"

Marinette huffed, "It's hardly a secret admirer, Alya."

"If you say so!"

* * *

After those two notes, things got…worse? Better? Marinette wasn't sure.

When she showed up in class that next day, there was a paper on her desk, just as before. But, this wasn't a sticky-note. This was a full sketchbook page _portrait_ of herself.

It was incredibly detailed, as if she were looking at a black-and-white photograph. Except, she was sure she hadn't held her hair a bun the entire school year. So, this admirer has known her when she wore her hair like that?

Well, that helped narrow things a bit.

Still, she couldn't think to name her admirer (that wasn't an admirer, Alya!) when she could busy herself with admiring the drawing. Everything was so gorgeous, even the freckles on the bridge of her nose that she normally hated! Her smile was perfect, and her bangs fell over her face lightly, almost featherlike. Whoever drew this took so much time and put so much effort behind it, it brought a blush to Marinette's face.

"What's that?" Alya asked as she plopped down at Marinette's side. "Woah," she breathed out when she caught glimpse of the drawing.

"What'cha got there, Marinette?" Nino asked as he and Adrien stepped inside.

That seemed to snap Marinette out of her trance, and she dropped the drawing onto her desk to rub at her face to rid her cheeks of her blush. "It's nothing!" she said through her palms. Why was she so suddenly embarrassed?!

"Wow, that's awesome," Adrien breathed out. He picked up the drawing and examined it, "Who drew this?" he asked.

"That's the problem," Alya began. "We don't know." She made to pat Marinette's back, glancing around the room to see if she could catch someone watching. Everyone seemed to be in their own conversations, or buried in their work. Strangely, that included Nathanaël, who almost always was talking to Mylene and Ivan before class. Hmmm…

"Well, whoever it is must really like you, Marinette," Adrien said with a grin. He liked seeing things go well for his friends! Especially Marinette, who always seemed to have such oddly misfortunate luck!

Marinette squeaked from where she sat, face still buried in her hands. Adrien did _not_ just say that, right? Ugh, she wanted to burst! Just float away, out the window! Join all the butterflies she'd cleansed, maybe they would accept her as one of their own! "Th-thanks, Adrien," Marinette eventually said, an awkward giggle slipping past her lips.

* * *

Marinette feared opening her locker that afternoon, silently hoping there wouldn't be _another_ drawing tucked inside. She sighed in relief when a paper didn't come fluttering out, silently rejoicing. Maybe her admirer had already given up? That would make things easier on her!

However, she then looked at the shelf of her locker, and the color drained from her face.

On the shelf sat a teddy bear. It was white and fuzzy, and held a heart in its hands, as well as a package of candy. The cute bear's heart read 'You're bear-y cute!'

She groaned at the pun, praying internally that Chat hadn't somehow gotten in her locker. Which raised a question in Marinette's mind: how had her admirer gotten _in_ her locker? A piece of paper was one thing, it could be slipped through the cracks. But this – this had to be placed in after opening the lock.

"Alya?" Marinette called, slamming the door shut. She held the bear to her chest, a glare taking over her face. Alya stepped in front of her, cooing at the bear. "How did it get in my locker, though?" Marinette asked. The only other person (besides their teachers) who had her locker combination was Alya.

"Maybe someone let him in?" Alya said with a shrug. "C'mon, I'm hungry!" Alya grabbed Marinette's hand before she could ask _who_ had wanted in her locker. It wasn't time yet!

As the duo barreled out into the hallway, they almost crashed into Nathanaël. "Whoops!" he laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, ladies…" He then noticed the bear in Marinette's arms, and couldn't help the smile that broke out across his face, "Cute bear, Marinette," he commented.

Marinette looked down and then shot him a smile, "It was in my locker somehow…" she said. "I guess it is cute, though…maybe it needs a name?"

"A name?" Alya and Nathanaël both said together.

Marinette nodded. She might as well embrace her fate. It also was foul practice to leave a teddy bear unnamed. "Maybe…Arctic?" It was white, and the fluffiness of it reminded Marinette of a fuzzy arctic fox. Also, its forever-pun left her cold.

Nathanaël smiled and nodded, a giggle slipping out. "Sounds perfect, Marinette." He was just glad the girl enjoyed the gift.

* * *

"Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me?" Marinette groaned as she stomped into the class that next morning. On her desk was a dozen – no, _two dozen_ – roses.

Alya snorted as she sat down, "Boy, whoever this is seems to be trying _really_ hard."

Marinette picked up the flowers, pulling out the note. Said note simply read, 'From Arctic.'

"Yeah…the teddy bear _totally_ left these for me…" she mumbled, plopping down in her seat. Who could be leaving her all this stuff?!

Wait. Hang on. Arctic? There were only two other people who knew that name…

Marinette whipped around quickly to see Nathanaël, who had his head down and focused on something on his desk. She narrowed her eyes and shot out of her seat just as Adrien and Nino walked into the room, confusion on their faces.

"Nathanaël!" Marinette called as she stomped up the steps. Said redheaded boy jumped, looking up to be met with Marinette's angry face.

"Y-yes?" he asked, trying to act as if he didn't know what she knew.

"You could've been less obvious than that!" Marinette fussed. "If you're trying to be anonymous, you don't sign it with a name only three people know!"

 _That's_ what she was mad about? "Y-you're not mad?" he asked, just to make sure.

Marinette giggled, "Why would I be mad? Because you have a crush on me?" That made the boy blush. "Honestly…I'm flattered," she said. "It's not everyday someone _likes_ me."

"Well, I find that hard to believe," Nathanaël said with a small laugh. "You're…beautiful a-and perfect and everyone likes you and…yeah."

Marinette smiled at him gently, then surprised him with a quick kiss on the cheek. She then made her way down to her seat, plopping down beside Alya to leave a flustering Nathanaël alone with his emotions.

And, if there was a sudden increase in the number of flowers on Marinette's desk every day, signed 'From Arctic', she didn't complain. Ladybugs love flowers.

 **Can Andi write things other than Adrinette? Yes, yes they can.**

 **Review and Favorite if you enjoyed!**


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